Comments | concrtconcubine: Pros and cons

concrtconcubine

Pros and cons

May 04, 2009 10:57

Our house is up for sale and generating a lot of traffic. Good news, though I'm not sure if we've found the place we want to live next. I have a lot of feelings and decisions to sort through and this seems like a good place to try. I can't talk to Derrick about much of it--he'd prefer to stay where we are and thinks it's a bad idea to sell right ( Read more... )

househunting

Comments 5

demeter_maid May 5 2009, 16:44:13 UTC

Those are some pretty daunting cons for the place that intrigues you, and I suspect that some would become deal breakers once you can't back out of the deal without a big hassle. The pros are awesome, though, and I can understand why these things would appeal to you ( ... )

concrtconcubine May 5 2009, 17:51:37 UTC

hanks--yours is one of the opinions I was most hoping to get.

We've had an agent since November. But it's much faster for me to find potential houses than have her do it--I check a few times a day for all the new, and newly-reduced, listings in Seattle in my price range with my other requirements (square footage, # of bedrooms and baths, etc.), then I just call her to arrange viewings. I've seen a couple of houses I really liked but they sold weeks before we got our place on the market, and we weren't really in a position to make an offer until now. I already have pre-approval for a loan so that's not an issue.

It's a tough call between a house with a yard closer to my friends, or (whether or not it's the cohousing place) being close to Derrick's friends and job but probably giving up the yard.

demeter_maid May 10 2009, 16:36:23 UTC

We found the house we live in now by taking a walk around the block. :c) But our agent negotiated the price, and set up all the lawyer's appointments and such. Craig paid $15k less than the asking price. I don't know if we could have gotten that without an agent who knew the ins and outs of the business ( ... )

popcorntheater May 5 2009, 18:32:48 UTC

I'm not a homeowner and have never been one unfortunately so I really don't feel equipped with the best advice on this. I'm kind of learning things from you. I just have two things to say about the above thoughts.

#1 I think you will still encounter 400+ monthly heating bills in winter - whether or not your home is evenly heated - can't say, but that sounds about the average for a home these days (I've asked around for a long, long time on this, just to keep it fresh in my mind if we ever got a house).
#2 I can't imagine you in a place without a little bit of yard. You seem to enjoy gardening so much and what you produce is lovely.

concrtconcubine May 5 2009, 19:28:57 UTC

Thanks! Yeah, I would actually prefer a smaller yard (or same size backyard, but next to no front yard--what I have now is more than I can keep up now that Max is too big to stick in a pack and play) but what I really like is just having someplace to throw down a sleeping bag and stretch out and read or have a picnic on a nice day. This most likely will be the deal-breaker.

As for the heating bills, everyone I mention the figure to here is appalled, and I think my mom (whose house is almost as big as mine, but built in the 1960s) pays about $200 a month for heat in Silver Spring. And my friends here who live in a townhouse say the common walls keep their heating bill under $100/month. Funny thing is, every time I ask a seller or their agent this question, they are surprised. I guess high energy costs are not that common a reason a move.